APPIAH Stephen

APPIAH Stephen from Ghana.A combative midfield player, Stephen Appiah is blessed with a strong 'engine' and good tactical awareness.

Name: APPIAH Stephen

Date of birth: 24 December 1980

Height: 178 cm

Weight: 77 kg

Position: Midfielder

Current Club: Fenerbahce (TUR)

Int'l Goals: 11 (as of 30-May-2006)

Int'l Caps: 41 (as of 30-May-2006)

First Int'l Cap: Benin v. Ghana (24-Dec-1996)

Detail: A combative midfield player, Stephen Appiah is blessed with a strong 'engine' and good tactical awareness.

National team

Appiah first turned out for Ghana at the age of 16 and is an international regular.

Club

The combative player joined Udinese Calcio as a 16-year-old, spending three seasons with the club. It was at the Friuli stadium that he morphed from a striker of promise into a midfield player of substance. Appiah assumed the deeper, more constructive role following his debut against US Lecce in February 1998.

2000: A transfer to Parma FC was jeopardised by viral hepatitis, but Appiah overcame the illness to move in the summer. The Ghanaian was on the fringe of becoming a regular at the Ennio Tardini stadium, and the club thought it would aid his development to spend the 2002/03 season on loan at Brescia Calcio.

2002: A first-team regular, Appiah scored seven times in 31 games for Brescia to alert Juve to his talents. The Italian champions paid €2m to secure his services with an option of a permanent €6m transfer in 2004. He went on to enjoy a solid first season at the Delle Alpi, playing 30 Serie A games, also appearing in the Coppa Italia final, won by S.S. Lazio over two legs, and making his debut in the UEFA Champions League.

2004/05: Although Appiah lost his place in the team to Manuele Blasi early in the campaign, he eventually played 18 Serie A games as Juve won the domestic title for the 28th time. In the summer he left for Turkish champions Fenerbahçe SK in an €8m transfer.

Did you know?

Appiah was born in Accra, where he turned out for the local champions Hearts of Oak.